The present invention relates to photographic devices, and more particularly to an improvement on the placement of the viewfinder on a camera.
Cameras are popular photographic devices that allow people to capture the images of their daily life. Usually, most types of cameras are provided with a lens for capturing image on film, a shutter release for releasing the shutter, a display for displaying camera data as frame number and aperture and shutter speed settings, a view finder for the photographer to view what will be captured on film, and a flash unit 16 take pictures in dim-lighted situation.
On most conventional cameras, the lens is provided at the center of the camera body and the viewfinder is either provided above the lens or at the upper-left corner of the camera body. It is therefore a drawback arising from such a provision that, when the photographer's eye is placed near the viewfinder to view the image to be captured on film, the back of the camera body could press against the photographer's nose. This causes several disadvantages to the use of the camera. First, when the photographer tries to get his/her eye closer to the viewfinder to see the image more entirely, the pressure of the camera back against the nose could cause uncomfortableness to the photographer. Second, the breath of the photographer through the nose would cast moisture on the camera back and therefore the camera back would easily get tainted.
Furthermore, since most compact cameras are designed to be hand held for the taking of pictures, they must be held very steadily in the hands of the photographer so as to avoid possible image blurs due to camera shake. Therefore, there exists a need for provisions on compact cameras that help the photographer to stabilize the compact camera when handheld in taking pictures.